Only Memories
by Angel449
Summary: Kagome has always had a difficult time with her two lives. With important exams approaching, some unwanted thoughts invade her mind and she finally starts questioning which life is most important.


A/N: This story is written as a surprise for my neechan's birthday. Have a great day, Aya-chan, and I hope that all of your dreams come true! –hugs-

Summary: Kagome has always had a difficult time with her two lives. With important exams approaching, some unwanted thoughts invade her mind and she finally starts questioning which life is most important.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Inuyasha characters. They belong to the great Rumiko Takahashi.

**Only Memories**

The sun shone brightly overhead, warming the soft blue sky of Feudal Japan. White, puffy clouds twirled and danced to the rhythm of the soft summer breeze. Tiny birds hopped from branch to branch in the trees of the Forest of Inuyasha. They chirped excitedly not far above an old well. Standing by the well, there was a hanyou and a miko from the future.

The two were locked in a staring contest. Eye to eye, arms crossed over chests, not saying a word.

Kagome finally interrupted the sounds of nature with a determined voice. "Fourteen days."

"Three days."

"Thirteen."

"Five."

"Twelve."

Inuyasha seemed to consider that for a moment before shaking his head. "No."

"Eleven. That is as low as I am willing to go."

"Are you crazy? We can definitely get a rumour of Naraku in that time!"

"We haven't gotten a rumour of Naraku in three weeks!" Kagome exclaimed in frustration. "It's very unlikely that he'll show up! On the other hand, my _university_ _exams_ are definitely coming up and if I fail those, do you _know_ what will happen to me? I can't enter university unless I pass and score really high!""

"Keh, it's just some silly-"

"Failing these exams in my world is the equivalent to _dying_ in this world!" Kagome said dramatically.

"So this _university exam_ is some kind of youkai?" Inuyasha asked excitedly, whipping out his Tetsusaiga. "I'll kill-"

"No!" Kagome interrupted in annoyance, uncrossing her arms and putting them on her hips. "It determines my future…determines my status in the world. If I fail it, I can never go to school again, never get a job, never get any money, never get any food or shelter, and eventually I'll wind up dying on the streets!"

Kagome was being dramatic and exaggerative again, but she hoped that she could get Inuyasha to fall for her little act.

The hanyou seemed unmoved. "You could just stay here and not bother with school," he suggested.

The young miko gave up. After three years of these kinds of discussions, what made her think that he would magically start being understanding and sympathetic? It was time to end the conversation.

"I've had enough, Inuyasha. I am taking my eleven days, whether you like it or not." Her eyes glowed dangerously.

Inuyasha's temper flared up. "You're so selfish, wench! It's your fault that the jewel got shattered, you know!"

"Stop bringing that up! Don't you think that if I could change that, I would? Who wants to spend their life running after a wimpy enemy that does nothing but taunt us and hide behind a barrier?"

"Not you, I'm guessing," Inuyasha said, narrowing his eyes.

"Got that right!"

"Then go home and take your precious exams. I don't care," he said angrily, leaping into a nearby tree and disappearing from sight.

Kagome was not going to give him the satisfaction of making her feel guilty. With a huff, she swung her legs over the lip of the well and was quickly engulfed by the blue light.

* * *

Five days had gone by since Kagome's abrupt departure from the past. Surprisingly, Inuyasha had not come through the well to drag her back. Kagome knew her hanyou well enough to know that he wasn't mad by their little exchange, just too stubborn to be the first to back down.

_It doesn't matter. In less than a week, I'll go back._

Kagome was glad that she had stood her ground about her eleven days. The first thing that she had done when she had entered her house was run straight to the telephone to call Hojo. It was a big gamble, seeing as he was likely to ask her out, but she couldn't call her three giggling girlfriends. Kagome knew for a fact that a call to them would only result in hours at Wacdnald's where she would be interrogated about Inuyasha.

Luckily, and very surprisingly, Hojo was every bit as helpful as she had hoped. He had photocopied the last three weeks' worth of notes for her _and_ delivered them to her house. He told her that she was glad that she was recovering from her infection and to call him if she had any questions.

At first, Kagome was relieved that he hadn't insisted on staying, but before long she asked him to come over and explain everything to her personally. Especially the math notes.

Alas, he wouldn't be Hojo if he didn't ask her out eventually. When Hojo invited her to dinner, she politely declined. After that, she had started studying on her own.

It wasn't easy. Souta had found a hidden musical passion within himself…just a week before Kagome had come home. Her mother supported Souta whole-heartedly; she had even bought him the drums that he desired. Normally, Kagome would've been just as excited for Souta, but he had the _worst_ timing ever! It went without saying that she needed a new place to study.

Not her house (too noisy), not the library (too silent), and not Wacdnald's (too many distractions). Kagome had found herself a spot that she hadn't known existed.

Her mother had told her about a special place that she went to when she needed to "get away from it all" after Kagome's father had died.

It was a small, cabin-style café in the middle of a heavily wooded area. It was decorated in traditional Japanese décor, with straw mats by the entrances, handcrafted fans dressing the walls, ancient samurai weapons in the corners, small golden gongs at each table, and cherry blossoms painted everywhere. Friendly staff wore fancy historical Japanese clothing from the way their hair was fixed, to their wooden sandals. Outside, a little shrine and a wooden, well-maintained well stood in the middle of a garden with many colourful flowers. The place was called the Ning Sakura Café.

It was only a short train ride from Tokyo and it had just enough customers to make a gentle form of background noise. Kagome had fallen in love with the place at first sight and had spent all of her free time studying there ever since.

Which led her to the present.

Kagome sipped her Nestea as she reviewed the functions of different human organs for her Biology exam. "Food enters the mouth and is chewed with the help of saliva secretions," she murmured softly without looking at her notes. "The food then moves down the esophagus by a muscle movement called peristalsis. The food enters the stomach where it is churned and made into a liquid called chyme…" Kagome kept reviewing until she had finished all of the human systems and their functions, diversity in living things, plant life, nutrition and genetic diversity. Then she went over it again…and then again.

Kagome sighed. It was unbelievable, but she was bored. She had completely absorbed her Biology notes. She could probably take the exam right now and pass with flying colours.

_I guess there _is_ such thing as too much studying._

"Can I get you anything?" asked a kind voice.

Kagome looked to her right and saw a girl that didn't look much older than she was. Kagome smiled, "No thank you…Ruki," she said, glancing at the girl's nametag. "I was just about to leave."

Ruki smiled. "Exams are tough, aren't they?"

Kagome nodded and grinned. "Hopefully I'll nail them though," she said standing up. She put some money on the table for her drink and gave a short little wave. "Bye!"

Ruki smiled and waved back.

* * *

Four more days.

Kagome sighed in exasperation. It was one thing when Biology was starting to get easy and repetitive…but _math_? She never thought that she'd see the day when math was too easy. Gosh, was she really that nerdy? A whole semester of being tortured to death by math…and a week was able to change all that?

Yep, she was a nerd.

Just to make sure she was right, she closed her eyes and pointed to a random question in her textbook.

**Write the inverse of the following equation: y2x + 3**

Inverse functions. Just a week ago she would've been crying in frustration…but now…

"Y equals negative x plus three all over two," she recited robotically, without lifting her pencil. 

It was official. She was all studied out. Her first exam was the day after the next, but Kagome was finished reviewing for the day. She shut her books, put them into her yellow backpack, and stared into her drink. Kagome's thoughts drifted to the past week.

It had been really, really nice. She had never had this much consecutive time away from the Feudal Era…not since she had started the whole crazy journey. Kagome had almost forgotten what it was like to just relax…

She sighed and sipped her lemonade. Kagome had never _asked_ to be Kikyo's reincarnation. She hadn't _intentionally_ shattered the jewel. And she certainly never _wanted_ her life to change so drastically.

Suddenly feeling slightly depressed, she finished her drink and put her money on the table, hoisted her bag onto one shoulder, and headed outside.

The wooden door shut vocally behind her.

Kagome walked outside and was assaulted by the blistering heat. Even though it was June and she was in a heavily wooden area, the scorching temperature dominated. Kagome walked a tiny pathway through the outdoor garden and sat beside the well.

_It all began with a well…_

This well was much different then the one she knew, however. It was well cared for with a glossy black plaque on opposing sides of the lips. Cursively etched in dark grey were the words:

_Opto Well  
__Granting desires of the Heart_

"Granting desires, huh?" Kagome asked with a humourless laugh. "You know what I desire? I want Inuyasha to understand why I have to keep coming back. I want to know that everything I did in the past was right. I want to know which direction my life is going. I want to know what would've happened if I had never chased after Buyo that day. I want to stop feeling overwhelmed."

Kagome shut her eyes and leaned against the well. "But I bet that you can't do that. You're just a well. You can't analyze memories and experiences and explain the future. You're just a hunk of wood."

_Inuyasha…_

"It's been three years…I just wonder if it will ever end. And if it does…what is going to happen to me?"

Kagome didn't say another word for another hour. She just sat quietly by the well until her watch announced that it was time to catch her train. She stood up and walked away from the Ning Sakura Café…

…Never knowing, never imagining that a young waitress that was currently clearing tables had been on the other side of the well while Kagome had been speaking…

And hearing every word.

* * *

"That's good enough, Ruki! You can get going; I'll close up," called Chiyoko, a coworker.

"Thanks!" Ruki called, rushing through the door. The last think she wanted was for Chiyoko to change her mind.

When she was far enough from the café, she slowed to a walk and walked into the train station, sitting on a bench and pulling out her textbook.

That girl from the café wasn't the only one with exams…Ruki also had university exams. Except for the fact that she was already _in_ university. She hadn't had a lot of time to study at all, owing to the fact that she had been working for many hours at the Ning Sakura Café. Her family didn't have very much money and she had to earn every penny for university herself.

But what was the point of earning money for university if she was just going to flunk anyway!

Her exam was going to be brutal. She was majoring in Creative Writing, but it was still going to be brutal. She was going to have to write a poem, a short story, and a letter from a fictional character. Ruki was going to be given some basic criteria, but still…

The letter was going to be the hardest part. What on earth could she write about! She couldn't just develop a character out of thin air! Not a good one at least…even with criteria. It took planning and time…and practice.

Ruki's thoughts drifted to the girl from the café. She had sounded so sad…and almost as helpless as Ruki felt. The waitress wished that there were something that she could do for her.

As the train pulled into the station, an idea struck Ruki with the same speed, intensity, and power as the vehicle before her. An idea that could help her…and maybe that other girl too.

Grinning, she hopped on board.

* * *

"Physics," Kagome sighed. She skimmed over her notes for at least the tenth time. "Scalar…vector…motion…circuits…open…closed…distance…yeah, yeah, yeah, I know…"

"Can I get you anything?"

Kagome looked up and saw the waitress from two days ago. Ruki, her name was.

Kagome looked at her empty glass and smiled. "A ginger ale and a chicken sandwich, please."

Ruki smiled and hurried off to fulfill the order. It was early (about four in the afternoon), so there wasn't much business. The chef was able to prepare the sandwich in about the same time that it took for Ruki to fill up the glass with Kagome's request. She put the sandwich and the drink on a small, wooden tray.

Ruki carried the tray to Kagome's table and set it in front of her. "Enjoy," she said cheerfully, walking away.

Kagome eagerly grabbed her sandwich and bit into it, closing her eyes in bliss. She had reached Chicken Heaven. Only a Kami could make something so simple into something so incredibly delicious. She took another bite, and another, and another…

…And it was gone much too soon.

She pouted. She was definitely going to have to get another one the next time that Ruki came by. Sighing, she moved her plate slightly to the left to make room for her drink…

…And something white caught her eye.

Narrowing her chocolate-brown eyes, Kagome moved her plate completely out of the way and saw a white envelope. It had nothing written on it and it wasn't sealed. Curiously, Kagome opened it and was greeted with what looked like a letter. It was written in fancy, black cursive on light green stationary. Her eyes widened at the first sentence.

_To A Bearer of Unique Memories,_

_You spoke to be in the recent past and I felt compelled to communicate with you. You spoke with such fear, longing and uncertainty. I could not ignore your plea._

_Do not feel frustrated by your feelings of helplessness, for it is natural for someone your age to feel this way. You are currently facing many of life's biggest challenges and you will continue to do so for many years into the future._

_The future…it is indeed uncertain. However, you have the power to eliminate some of that uncertainty. There is no way of knowing what is going to happen next, but you can control some parts of your destiny. Every decision you make has a different outcome for the future._

_There are times when you will feel torn with indecision, especially over the most difficult decisions in life. When this happens, you simply have to make the choice that will enable you to carry on with the fewest number of regrets. That's all that there is to it._

_During our brief time together, you expressed many feelings of confusion, both of the past and your future. You found yourself wondering if different decisions could have led to different outcomes. They most likely would have, but then you would not have become the person that you are today._

_Memories, like DNA, are unique to each person…no two people share the exact same ones. However, the memories that are shared by two people form special bonds form that can only be comprehended by those people, seldom others. Mother and child, brother and sister, best friends, lovers…relationships are formed through the past, which provides a foundation for the future._

_Your memories are your closest friends and they will be with you for the rest of your life. Embrace them and the people that you share them with._

_Sincerely yours,  
__The Opto Well_

Kagome was wide-eyed. Who could have written such a profound letter? Its words struck her so deeply that she felt it within her heart.

And then it hit her. It was the truth. How could she have ever doubted herself? How could she ever think that she could just leave her feudal life behind? Her friends behind? _Inuyasha_ behind?

She couldn't.

Not in a million years.

It was a part of her. They were a part of her.

Kagome stuffed the letter in her pocket and shoved 2000 yen into the envelope. It was more than enough for her small meal…and a huge tip for the letter writer (Kagome wasn't an idiot, she knew that wells could not write, much less so intelligently). She scribbled a quick message on the inside of the envelope.

She stood up, nearly knocking her chair over, and ran out the door as fast as she could.

She had to see Inuyasha.

* * *

Inuyasha growled in frustration. Eight days. That was how long she had been gone for. That was the longest that they had been apart since the whole journey began. She had been in her era for a week and a half one time, but he had been over there with her.

Only three more days and this aggravation would be over with. She would be back, and things would return to normal.

Damn Miroku.

If it hadn't been for him, Inuyasha would've gone back for her by now. However, the lecherous monk had insisted that Inuyasha give Kagome her space for "this minimal amount of time."

Minimal? Please.

The amount of time was bigger than a sit crater of a very angry Kagome. And that was saying something.

Inuyasha flopped onto the ground and leaned his back against the rough wood of the bone-eater's well.

One of the hardest things about the separation had been their parting words. Inuyasha had always suspected that Kagome's obligation was a big part of why she kept coming back. But to actually hear it, hurt.

Still, she had told him that she wanted to stay by his side…but that had been years ago.

The hanyou sighed and shut his eyes.

He missed her. Plain and simple.

In fact, he could almost smell her scent…

"Inuyasha!"

And hear her voice…

Inuyasha's eyes snapped open and he shot to his feet. Looking over the edge of the well, he found himself looking directly into the eyes of the miko from the future, who had nearly climbed to the top of the well.

Inuyasha simply looked at her.

Her hair was in a high ponytail, she was wearing a small white shirt, baggy blue pants and old shoes. She wore no "make-up" or any fake scents.

She was beautiful.

Without saying a word, Inuyasha offered his hand to help her out of the well, and she took it without hesitating. With Inuyasha's help, Kagome climbed out of the remainder of the well.

As soon as her feet touched solid ground, she launched herself at Inuyasha, wrapping her arms around his waist tightly and pressing her cheek to his chest.

Inuyasha was nothing short of shocked. Was she okay? Why was she being like this?

"Kagome…are you okay?" Inuyasha asked, startled by how soft his voice sounded.

He felt her nod. "Yes," she whispered softly.

She didn't move, nor speak again. Not knowing what to do, Inuyasha returned the hug hesitantly and squeezed her gently.

"How come you're back early?" Inuyasha asked suddenly.

She pulled away from him and looked into his wide, amber eyes. "I wanted to see…I just…I really missed you," she said with a light blush.

Inuyasha blushed slightly too.

"Someone very wise made me realize something," Kagome said quickly. She looked at Inuyasha and blurted out, "I'm glad that I broke the jewel!"

Inuyasha raised his eyebrows.

"If I hadn't broken it, I would've never met Shippo, Sango, Miroku, and I wouldn't have fallen in love with you! Of course, Naraku is one bad part but we'll defeat him anyway, won't we? Of course we will." she said in a very fast voice. "And anyway-"

"Kagome," Inuyasha interrupted. "What – you mean-uh-what did you just say? About me, I mean?" he asked awkwardly.

Kagome was confused. She replayed her words in her head and gasped, her face flaming. "Um…that was…just…um…I mean…" She had just announced her feelings! She sighed. "It was true," she said, turning her head to the side and down.

For a moment, neither of them spoke. The tension in the air was so thick that it would've taken a lot more than a knife to cut it.

"Me too," Inuyasha said. "I love you too."

Surprised, Kagome looked into his eyes again and saw immediately that he was telling the truth. He loved her? He really did? He actually -?

Her thoughts were cut off when Inuyasha pressed his lips to hers. Kagome didn't have time to be astonished; she just closed her eyes and raised her arms, wrapping them around his neck. She was inexperienced at this, but she returned the kiss with all of the passion that she felt in her heart. Inuyasha had one arm around her waist and the other cupping her face gently.

The fire between them was hotter than the blistering June heat. When Inuyasha finally broke the kiss, both were panting hard.

Inuyasha grinned. "I'm glad you're back, Kagome."

She smiled. "I haven't actually taken my exams yet, but they'll be over really soon and I'll be back.

Inuyasha nodded. "I know," he told her, kissing her again.

_Every memory of the feudal era is just one more thing that ties me to Inuyasha. I won't allow any exam to ever break that bond._

* * *

Ruki groaned. Cleanup sucked. She would have to talk to her supervisor about putting a dishwasher in the kitchen. Culture be damned! She was sick of dishes! Why couldn't they just have some people try to eat and run so that they could do the dishes! If society was so messed up these days, why couldn't she get a damned break out of the deal!

"I need a break," she announced to Chiyoko. "I'm going to clear some tables!"

Without waiting for a reply, she hurried into the main room and started gathering empty plates and glasses. Such wasteful people. There was a full glass of ginger ale that looked untouched –

Wait, was that?

A white envelope.

Ruki picked it up and looked inside.

Inside the envelope was some money and a simple message: **Thank you**.

Ruki grinned. She was going to _kill_ her exam!

THE END

* * *

A/N: Yes, I am still working on TSW. I hope that you all liked this! And enjoy your special day, neechan! 


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